Calm Waters
by Allen Harding
Summary: It's been years since the events of The Sea of Monsters, now Percy Jackson tries to continue his life in Camp Half-Blood at the age of 19. Rivalries will dissolve and friendships will form, and some will be lost. Percy has to try and cope with the loss of people close to him, and maybe a certain daughter of Ares will be there to help him.
1. All Waves Meet an End

**Hey it's LaFrae and this is my second attempt at writing FanFiction for . This is a Percy Jackson fic pairing both Clarisse and Percy. The main backstory of this fic is different from the books. The entire first book is cannon and the second book is slightly cannon mixed with the movie verse.**

**tl;dr - In-Depth Backstory: This fic is mainly from the movieverse but mixed with the books as well. The ages of all characters match those of the movieverse version, making Percy sixteen in the **_**Lightning Thief**_** and seventeen in the **_**Sea of Monsters**_**, thus making him nineteen in this fic as it takes place two years after the events of the **_**Sea of Monsters**_**. **

**But a few events from the books – such as the toilet scene from the Lightning Thief – would have occurred. Everything after the second book did NOT occur, so no **_**The Titans Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth,**_**or **_**The Last Olympian.**_**I'm sorry if any of those books were your favourites but this fic is to appeal mostly to those who watched the movies rather than the books. I will try not to disappoint. There will be a lot of blanks but I will try my best to fill them in through the story. **

**Other than that, I don't want to spoil a few major things.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or any of the characters, but I do own this fic and the plot.**

**-Calm Waters-**

Percy's eyes shot open to the sound of thunder and instinctively reached for the pen hidden away in the inner pocket of his jacket. Realising it wasn't needed; he relaxed his arm. He was lying near the lakeside, secluded between a few trees; he found this area a few years back when he was exploring the grounds of the campsite. Nobody ever wanders in these parts of the camp or on this side of the lake, so it was a perfect place to relax and get away from it all: the pressure, the workload, and the expectations...

Another crack of thunder signalled the beginning of rain; Percy saw this to be the work of nature and not the gods, so he tossed away any thoughts of a conflict between his father and his uncle.

The light rain began to get to him through the trees so he pushed himself onto his feet and made his way to the little cabin on the right. The cabin was made completely of wood and was constructed all by the hands of Percy Jackson. After preventing the release of Kronos a two years ago, he received a side effect from handling Tartarus with his bare hands, something that should never be done as the power emitted from Kronos affected the hull of Tartarus as well.

He began to experience sudden rage from anything at anytime. Chiron advised Percy to distract himself, thus the construction of the cabin at the lakeside.

Acquiring the materials wasn't hard for Percy as trees surround the Camp. Every morning, he would make his way to the forest with a lumberjacks axe on his shoulder. He had to walk far from the camp, as he did not want to cut the trees near Thalia's, instead deeper in the forest where the trees were smaller and more secluded. It only took two trees to construct the cabin, though chopping the logs was not an easy task for Percy.

He'd assumed lumber jacking was an easy job, but once the tree falls, there was more than just carrying the logs to the area in which he would construct the cabin. He had to chop it into smaller bits and carry a few to the workshop near the Hephaestus Cabin, where he would slice them into the shapes he needed. Though he was cured within the month, Percy still working on and finished the cabin. Since then, he's been using the cabin as a personal getaway.

Percy entered the cabin and ever did it feel welcoming. He decorated it a bit with the items in his Cabin, one of them being a trident of course. He outfitted the cabin to be a mini cabin, another place he could rest in peace, so he built a bed and even had a mini fridge and a stove in the corner, and a couch. Outside was where he built a table and two chairs, though he never planned to show anyone the cabin other than Annabeth.

There were only two light sources in the cabin, the window, and the lamp hanging from the centre of the ceiling with a little flame in the middle of it. The special thing about the flame was that it could never go out, a gift from one of the Hephaestus kids. Percy hopped onto the bed and laid his head on the pillow, locking his hands together and setting them on his chest. It'd been a simple day of training his swordsmanship, which really did not need any improvement as his powers gave him skills in that by default, as proven on his first week at Camp Half-Blood.

He returned to relaxing as he closed his eyes and listened to the raindrop onto the surface of the lake or the wood of the rooftop and the occasional sound of thunder.

A few minutes into his relaxation, Percy heard footsteps on the other side of the door, stepping on twigs and mud. He raised his head a little, waiting to hear if he/she were approaching the door or not. The sound of the nob turning certainly caught his attention. Once again, he reached for his pen, this time drawing it from his pocket. He unclipped the end and the blade sprung into action silently.

The door opened slowly and ever so dramatically as if the person on the other side was scanning the room before entering. Percy grabbed and flung the door open and pointed his sword threateningly under the chin of the intruder.

Percy's eyes widened as he discovered who it was. Clarisse La Rue, the daughter of Ares, and his rival, was standing before him, her hair drenched from the rain and hands pulling her denim jacket tightly around her chest. He could tell she was startled by his actions and was staring down at the blade pointed at her neck.

"Clarisse? What are you doing here?" he asked, demanding an answer. Their feud had been going on since his first week in Camp Half-Blood and never had it stopped. Clarisse had been at his throat ever since he drenched her with his powers the first week he was year. Since then, she had been competitive and cold-blooded towards him. So Clarisse being at his doorstep was definitely not expected.

"I was relaxing by the lakeside and it started raining dipshit. So of course I was looking for some shelter." She said in an angry tone. "So would you put the goddamn sword down Jackson and let me in."

"How am I supposed to trust you Clarisse? I tried that before, the result wasn't satisfactory." Percy reminded. Although Percy did slightly believe her as he noticed her teeth chattering and hands were shaking. Though she tried to sound bossy towards Percy, he knew in truth she wanted his help.

"Percy p-please...It's really cold and tired out here..." She said softly towards him. Never had Percy saw this kind of action from Clarisse; no less hear her say the word "please". He couldn't deny it was cold, it was the beginning of winter and the weather in the state only just began to get cooler, combined with it being the late afternoon and the rainfall, it would be freezing out there.

He withdrew his sword and wrapped an arm around her as he guided her into the cabin. He shut the door behind them, locking it afterwards.

Percy sat Clarisse on the couch and stood before her, wondering what to do about it. He couldn't leave her there and warm herself up in her damp clothes. Truthfully, he wanted to use his powers to easily withdraw all the water from her clothes and skin, but then there was the tattoo. She received it from her father when she requested a gift for her birthday. It's a seal that prevents Demi-God kinetic abilities from affecting her. Thus a tattoo was burned onto her skin out of thin air as a gift from Ares. So his powers were useless on Clarisse, which means he would have to warm her up the hard and physical way.

There was a slim locker beside the minibar filled with a couple of his clothes and towels. He retrieved a towel and proceeded back to Clarisse. He went to grab her jacket but she pulled away and glared at him silently.

His sea green eyes stared into her chocolate eyes, his eyes told her he wanted nothing more but to help her, and that was all she needed. She relaxed herself and Percy went to grab the jacket again. She brought her hands to her side and let him pull the jacket off her shoulders.

She was wearing a light blue bikini top underneath. Percy was surprised, but it didn't tear his focus away from mission at hand. He threw the towel over her shoulders, rubbing her on the sides in an effort to dry her wet body. The whole time, Clarisse was staring at Percy, relentlessly trying to help her.

She hated this about him, how he was so good to anyone when they needed it, it didn't matter who you were, or what you did, he would help you and never ask for anything in return. Chiron called it a hero-complex, something both Perseus and Hercules possessed. It made Percy a very likeable guy, and the last thing she planned on doing in her life was liking Perseus Jackson. She never wanted to admit loss when Percy blasted her when she met him, so she established a rivalry between them, as a way to prevent herself from losing and apologising to him. She kept a competitive relationship that would make her feel dominant and above Percy.

And then there is now, she came running from the lakeside where she had been relaxing far away from the camp. It was freezing and the only shelter she could find was the cabin she resides in now. And of all the people to be behind the door is Percy Fucking Jackson. Of course after some blunt convincing, he let her in and helped her, no more questions asked. She didn't know how to react to him, she tried to find a way to keep herself from being weak and be strong, but she was shivering and freezing, she didn't want to admit it but she wanted his help. And then she felt a tug on her shoulders, Clarisse hadn't noticed, but Percy was standing, his hands under his arms, trying to pull her to her feet. Percy well noticed the look of confusion in her eyes but nevertheless she stood up, her hands gripping the towel tightly.

He guided her to the bed in the corner of the cabin; Clarisse hesitated for a second but was reassured when Percy said the soft words "Trust me". Clarisse was terrified, her heart began to race and her breathing quickened slightly. She was scared, not because he was bringing her to bed, but because of what he said.

Never had he asked for trust from Clarisse, nor had he ever asked anything of her, but the first time he ever have, when he asked her to trust him, she never felt so accepting and trusting. She doesn't fully trust a lot people in her life, not even her father Ares, not even her best and closest friends, just probably Chiron and her mother. But then there is Percy, her longest Rival and enemy, and when he asks for her trust, She felt as if she could trust him with her life.

'What kind of mind games is he playing?' She thought.

Percy lifted the bedcovers and turned Clarisse around so that she was facing him, their eyes meeting once more. Clarisse finally found her voice when he reached for the towel.

"Stop treating me like I'm weak Prissy" she said in an attempt to sound strong. Percy flashed her a smile as he removed the towel and went straight to lifting her legs into the bed and under the sheets. She fell onto her back and her head found the pillow. Clarisse was being nursed and tucked by Percy Jackson, her cheeks coloured to a shade of crimson as the thought entered her mind.

Percy brought the covers over her chest and just below her chin. She looked at him and said as firmly as she could

"If a word of this ever gets out, so help me I will-"

"-End me, destroy me, mutilate me, make me suffer, yes okay. Let's not worry about that now all right? Now just warm up, perhaps get some rest." Percy said as he stood up. He headed towards the couch.

"I'll be right here-" he says sitting down on the couch "-if you need anything."

A soft smile plastered on his face as he laid his head back. Clarisse struggled to prevent herself from showing more weakness by thanking him, but she knew in her heart he deserved so much more than that. She opened her mouth to say the one thing she assumed she'd regret saying, but her tire got the best of her and soon, her eyes, which were locked onto Percy's resting figure, slowly shut as she succumbed into unconsciousness.


	2. When the Waters are Calm

It'd been nearly a full nine hours when Clarisse finally arose from her slumber. The first thing her senses honed in to was the smell of bacon, of all the things. She wondered what her roommates could be cooking up so early, then the realisation hit her, since when did any of them even learn to cook.

The memories from last night began flowing in rapid fire, from requesting the help of the Son of Poseidon, to getting in his bed, involuntarily of course. A sigh of disappointment and embarrassment soon followed and her hands flew to her face, various shades of red flashing upon her cheeks.

Soon the rest of her senses sprung into action, the sound of sizzling from what she assumed was the bacon and the smell of the wood that made up the cabin. She peeked above her fingertips to look around; she immediately spotted an analog clock on the wall above the doorway, the hands of the clock replaced with tridents of course. It read 5:13.

'How long have I been here?' She thought. Though somehow the chef by the stove to her right turned his head to look at her for a quick second as if he'd heard her.

"You sleep like a rock y'know?" Percy said whilst Clarisse blushed once more. He'd just been dressed in a fitting white undershirt and plaid shorts. Clarisse turned over so she was leaning on her left arm looking over at Percy, curiously. She just couldn't piece together why he had been so nice to her, despite the aggressive start at the doorway. Not only that but she found a cooking man somewhat attractive, she liked the fact that men like that ruin the stereotype that women are always in the kitchen. She mentally slapped herself from having such thoughts.

Percy turned the gas off and lifted the pan off the stove, scraping the bacon he'd been cooking onto two plates. He grabbed one plate and walked over to the bed. He couldn't help but notice how she looked when she was looking at him, it may have been her face of curiosity but it was a face of beauty to him, accompanied with the idea that this was literally the first girl he'd ever gotten in his bed. He shook it from his mind and landed softly on the mattress and placed the plate near Clarisse.

"Made you breakfast." Clarisse looked down at the plate then back to Percy. Another question crossed her mind: 'of all the people to want to cook for her, it's Percy…why? Why was he so good to her?' Not being able to understand began to frustrate her.

"And you might want to…" Gesturing at the blanket over her chest. Clarisse looked down only to realise she was still dressed in her two-piece; she quickly grabbed the hem of the blanket and brought it above her neck. Percy could only chuckle before arising from the bed. Clarisse hadn't said a single word that morning, because how else could she begin, 'thank you for getting me in your bed' was the first and by far the worst. 'Thank you' would've made her sound weak. So she decided on-

"Good morning…" she said softly, mentally slapping herself as she noticed the way it sounded as it was said; it wasn't the normal good morning that people would say to each other, it was the kind of good morning that lovers would have after a great night. Clarisse knew this as she did have a soft spot for chick flicks and many of them had that certain scene. Though he stopped midway as he heard her soft words. He looked over his shoulder while raising one eyebrow in interest, and gave her a short smile and tenderly said

"Good morning, Clarisse." Before continuing to the locker. Clarisse hadn't known it but she smiled as well before looking down at the plate.

Percy opened the locker to grab one of his old shirts and sports shorts he'd worn when he was 16. Assuming the size should fit Clarisse. Then a photo on the door caught his eye; it was a photo of him, Annabeth and Grover. It was taken on their trip to New York City during their quest to find Luke and Tartarus. Percy managed to suppress the emotions threatening to come out and shut the locker door slowly. He turned around to find Clarisse, working on the last strip of bacon, eating it with such delicacy.

He returned to Clarisse and set the clothes on the bed.

"I picked these out for you, I'm more than sure it'll fit you." He turned around to walk to the doorway. Percy assumed the clothes he'd picked out would be a more suitable way to return to the camp, rather than her two-piece. Clarisse hesitated and called him out before he could reach the doorway. He turned around to his call

"Can you…not…leave?" she said near a whisper, she didn't want to admit it but she enjoyed his hospitality, his care. All Percy could do was look into her eyes, how she looked so helpless at the time. It took a few seconds for him to respond

"I'll just be at the doorway so you can slip those on." He walked over to the door, opening it, letting a strong cold breeze sweep across his body. He leant on the doorframe, his back to her and facing the forest. Clarisse didn't know how to describe what she was feeling whenever he spoke, it was like a security or reassurance. She still couldn't understand why he was being so nice to her after all the years of fighting.

A few minutes later, Clarisse was standing in the centre of the cabin, dressed in a snug Oxford tee and shorts. Her hair wasn't soaking anymore and wasn't tied up into a ponytail like she had usually done. Instead her brunette hair was hung down freely to her shoulders. She tucked one of the curls behind her ear before walking up behind Percy silently.

She didn't say a word as she stood behind him; she eyed him instead. He was leaning on the doorframe, looking over at the lake, silent. From this angle of the lake, the dawnlight glistening over the surface of the water, really made this place look beautiful.

"Is it always this beautiful?" Clarisse asked him in the soft tone she'd been using the whole morning, walking closer to his side with her arm hanging off the opposite elbow. Percy looked over his shoulder, not surprised she finished changing, although surprised with the result. It must be a natural instinct to find a girl pretty when she's dressed in your clothes. Not feeling right having such thoughts, he proceeded to answering her question.

"Not often, guess today is different." He says returning his attention to the lake. A cold breath escaping his lips and the vapour presenting itself in its gassy white form.

"Like many other things…" Clarisse says to herself. Catching the attention of the other Demi-God, he turned around to face her.

"Such as…"

"Such as you." She says bluntly, her voice hardening slightly.

"-And you." He says quickly forcefully continuing her statement.

Clarisse was taken aback by his reply, because she couldn't deny it was true. She was confusing herself all too much inside. She couldn't tell if she hated the fact Percy was good to her, making her feel bad all these years, or the fact that she somehow admired his thoughtfulness and nobleness.

"Why? Why were you so good to me? Why did you do it?" Percy definitely did not expect this question to emerge from her lips, nor could he determine if she needed to know or wanted to know. Nonetheless he tried to assemble a sentence that would satisfy her.

"Because...you needed my help, and I did what felt I had to do." Percy didn't even understand what he'd just said; he assumed that is what 'talking from the heart' is like.

Clarisse just stared at his back, she didn't know how to respond to things like these, and she wasn't used to others helping her out, and definitely not from him.

"So you felt the need to shelter me?"

"It was cold out." he replied

"And dry me?"

"You were cold."

"And cook for me?"

"I woke up and whipped up breakfast, since you were here, might as well make you some."

"What about clothing me?"

"So when you get back to the camp, you are at least decent." The constant answers frustrated and annoyed her. But he didn't seem wrong about any of them; all of them were good answers and proved he only wanted to help, which annoyed her even more.

She just sighed and exited the cabin, walking towards the lakeside, caring little about the temperature. Percy's eyes following her as she walked past him. She was approaching the pier of the lakeside, another of Percy's creations. He figured since he had more than enough wood to build the cabin, he might as well put the remaining to some use.

Clarisse walked up the ramp onto the pier – Percy didn't know how to make good stairs – and continued on until she reached the end. Percy followed her silently, trying not to make any loud noises to ruin the quiet morning.

When Percy reached the end of the pier, he found Clarisse sitting at the edge, dangling her feet, her toes barely touching the water. Percy joined her at the edge, his feet touching the water obviously. Even though he remained dry, courtesy of his powers, he scooted up the pier so his feet didn't touch the water.

_Silence_, they could hear the birds chirping in the distance, the water ripple from the occasional touch of her toe, and the soft rustling of the trees as their leaves brushed against each other.

They sat in silence for what felt like hours until Percy decided to break it.

"I'm tired Clarisse." Clarisse glanced at him questionably, they'd both just had a long nights rest and he's tired. But before her thoughts could continue pondering, he continued.

"We've been at each others throats for years…I'm tired of fighting."

Whilst Percy was looking up into the sky, Clarisse was looking down at the water. It was true; they'd been fighting since the week he got here. And it wasn't Percy's fault and she knew that; she was the one keeping the competition and feud going. Why? To feel above him; he was the son of the God of the Sea's; he'd obviously receive the upmost attention and all the quests that came by. She wouldn't let that happen, so they had to fight, and she had to win, so people knew she was better than him.

Clarisse grew up with an ignorant stepfather, so it would be expected she would be attention hungry. She spent her childhood to get the acceptance and attention from her stepfather but it'd never happened. Once she came to Camp Half-Blood and learnt of her true father, she brought along her need for attention and wanted to show people that she should be recognized. Thus she vowed to be the strongest woman in Camp Half-Blood, because if that happens, no one could ignore her.

But everything changed that day two years ago, on the quest through the Sea of Monsters, for both Percy and Clarisse. They both lost so much that day, and they both tried to treat it someway. Clarisse tried to mask it through constant distractions, mainly through competitions, contests, and mini-quests.

But Percy had to treat it differently when he touched the prison, when he touched Tartarus. She tried to warn him, but he was too focused, focused on getting rid of Kronos and ending the quest that cost him so much. He was burned and affected by whatever dark powers were tainting the hull of Tartarus. Percy thought nothing of it until he started getting unpredictable "rage-attacks" as Chiron called it. And the attacks were all fuelled by his losses. So for a month he had to hideaway, contain it and suffer. Whilst Clarisse masked what was eating her up inside.

She'd been deep in thought for at least twenty minutes because the sun was just beginning to crawl from the horizon, the horizon being the forest at the west most side of the lake. Clarisse decided now would be the most opportune time to reply.

"Me too." Looking upwards into the sky that was just beginning to get filled with orange. Percy hadn't moved an inch since his last word to her; he was still admiring the view from the pier. But he did smile as a response to hers. His attention was torn from the scenery when he felt a hand cover his. Percy looked down at her hand before up into her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry Percy…" she whispered "For everything." Those were her last words as she pushed herself into a standing form and walked along the lakeside. Percy knew she didn't want to be followed, so he stayed at the pier, and watched her as she made her way to the camp.


	3. Settling on the Shoreline

The walk to her cabin was extremely quiet, yet peaceful. Most people weren't awake at these times except the Centaurs and the Hermes kids looking to cause trouble by setting up pranks in various areas. Many of them found that out the hard way. She approached her cabin, climbing the steps; she went for the doorknob until it was pulled from her when the door flung open. Before her was a fit strawberry blonde girl dressed in skinny jeans and a pink and white baseball tee. Not only that but when their eyes met, her lips curled into a large smile. Clarisse knew what was coming but she couldn't react quick enough when she bolted towards her.

"CLARISSE!" screamed Clarisse's best friend and half-sister, Jess. Her arms flew open and wrapped around Clarisse's chest, Clarisse yelping at the sudden contact.

"Hi Jess." She said breathlessly as she tried to peel her body off hers. Thankfully, she let her go, only to have her hand pulled and yanked into the cabin. The Ares cabin wasn't luxurious like the Big Three's or the Hermes Cabin, one can imagine why the Hermes cabin looks so luxurious. But it was definitely homey, it was spacious and had a tense yet relaxing atmosphere. There's a basement, where the Ares children can go to train whenever they want. And the rooms were upstairs, divided into two, boys and girls.

And because it was so spacious, there was so much we could add, the boys added their video games, and some of our girls added a bigger wardrobe, which Clarisse found disturbing. Sadly there aren't that many Ares kids to begin with, there has to be at least five of each gender, but in comparison to the others, like the Aphrodite and Hermes cabin, they were tiny. This was one of the things that really did matter to Clarisse, she knew that Ares had a lot of children on Earth, and she planned on finding each of them, bringing her family together.

Jess pulled her into the living room and sat her onto the couch.

"So?" Jess inquired, pulling Clarisse down onto the couch, demanding an answer to a question Clarisse didn't know.

"What?" she responded, trying to get a hold on what was going on.

"Who is it?" Clarisse was still puzzled. But Jess wouldn't quit; she knew that Clarisse knew what she wanted to know

"Who are you talking about?" she furrowed her eyebrows; it was beginning to get really annoying for her.

"The Guy." a voice sounded from across the living room. Clarisse looked up to see Jordan, another one of her half-sisters.

"What guy?" she asked, half clueless. She was partially scared, had they known about Percy. Did they see her at the other end of the lake with Percy? Her heart began to race, hoping they hadn't.

"Your clothes." Jordan said, gesturing to her clothes. Clarisse looked down and remembered. She was dressed in Percy's clothes, clothes that would be easy to determine to be for men. The shirts length was a little too long but the width seemed to have fit her snugly. The shorts on the other hand were below her knees, definitely not her size. The only thing keeping them up was the strap tightening the waistband.

"What about my clothes?" she said in an attempt to play off they were her clothes. Jordan shot her the "are you serious" look. She began walking to Clarisse

"Well your clothes aren't your clothes." She then tugged collar, flipping it. "Who's A.J.?"

"Who?" now even Clarisse was questioning who was A.J. She could only assume that the J was Jackson, but the A? Where did she even get the name?

"There are initials on the underside of the collar, it says A.J. So tell me, who is A.J?" Jordan explained following up with a question. Clarisse began to panic, she didn't know what to say, wearing a shirt that belonged to some other guy was a clear signal and the initials on the collar only confirmed it.

Clarisse looked towards Jess, looking towards her in distress. Jess immediately knew she didn't feel comfortable with Jordan. So she stood and walked up to Jordan.

"I don't think now is the time Jordie." She said, detaching her hand from her collar and lightly pushing her from Clarisse. Jordan just backed off with her hands up and walked away. When she left the room, Jess dragged Clarisse up the stairs into the girl's room. The room was empty and dark, the window blinds were shut and none of the bedside lamps were on. Likely 6 in the morning and no one was is bed, unlike the other cabins.

The Cabin of Ares established training sessions in the morning, being optional of course. Although, nearly all of the children of Ares attended them, mostly because Clarisse was very convincing and the children of Ares wouldn't want to miss out on a chance to battle.

Jess made herself a seat on her bed and sat Clarisse down. She then stood before Clarisse with her hands on her hips and a serious glare on her face.

"Thank you Jess. For getting me out of there." Clarisse apologized.

"That doesn't matter Clarisse. What is going on? What happened back there?" Jess questioned with a slight angry tone in her voice. Clarisse understood why she should be mad, she'd been out all night, only to return in someone else's clothes and doesn't even want to explain to anyone why it happened and what happened.

"I-I-He-" Clarisse sputtered, trying to deliver her message only to result in failure. She felt blood rush to her cheeks, as she remembered what had happened no less than an hour ago. It only got worse when her eyes met Jess's again. It was difficult to tell Jess of what happened, not because she spent the night at Percy's place or that she had to run to a random cabin because it was raining and she was dressed in only her beach clothes. But because Percy did more than just help her, he cooked for her; he clothed her, and even confessed he didn't want to fight anymore. It made her feel like an evil human being, being the one who started and encouraged the rivalry.

"Well?" Jess spurred on, insistent on getting an answer from her. "I'm your best friend Clarisse. You can tell me anything, I won't judge you."

Clarisse smiled, but still wasn't brave enough to tell her. Jess caught this on quickly.

"It couldn't have been that bad, or good, with the guy-" there was a pause as Jess brought her finger to her chin "was it even a guy?"

Clarisse's eyes widened, as she understood where she had just gone with this.

"NO! No! No no no no no. It was a guy."

"Finally, at least you confirmed it was a guy." Clarisse frowned as Jess said this in a serious tone. "You're going to have to tell me who it is. Seeing as you are super-sensitive about this, it is either someone at this camp or a celebrity."

There was a long silence after Jess narrowed it down. Clarisse feared answering it truthfully as it may just narrow it down further.

"It's a celebrity…" she said a little to quickly.

"Okay so it's someone at this camp." Clarisse hated this about Jess, being able to tell if she was lying because they've been roommates and sisters for years, you tend to grow used to each other to the level of knowing if the other is lying or being truthful. She began to list down campers at Camp Half-Blood from various cabins, some of which she didn't even know.

Five minutes passed until she finally reached an all too familiar name.

"Jackson?" her eyes shot up, she'd been staring at the wooden floor, her eyes tracing the greaves in the wood.

"Jackson Burkley? Really?" Jess clarified and asked in shock. Jackson Burkley was a Hephaestus kid; he was barely seventeen and short with dirty blonde hair. Not only that but he was immature and hung around the Hermes cabin a lot. Clarisse shook her head to tell Jess it wasn't him, dropping her head to stare at the ground again. Although, that wasn't the only answer she got from Clarisse.

"Jackson." She said, this time it wasn't a question. Clarisse looked at Jess curiously. Jess's face didn't look curious or have that "fun" spark behind them when she'd been listing out the names.

"Jess?" Clarisse asked, trying to get her to tell her why she'd said Jackson's name again.

"Perseus Jackson." This time Clarisse's face ran redder than it had before; she brought her hands to her face to mask the "shame" and emotions she was going through. She felt her back hit the mattress of the bed as she brought herself to a lying form.

She laid there, how long? No one knows. The embarrassing silence only came to a halt when a snicker was heard beside her, from the only person that could be next to her, Jess.

Clarisse peeled her hands off her face to peer at Jess; she was actually giggling at her.

"What is it? You found out who it was, congratulations. Don't need to make it worse." Jess's laughter softened.

"I'm not laughing because it is Percy. But because you were so scared to tell me it was Percy."

Clarisse sat up this time, her face red with on-going embarrassment and her eyes glaring at Jess questionably.

"But it's Percy." Clarisse said simply.

"Exactly. It is just Percy. Sure you've been rivals for years. Sure he's the Son of Poseidon. But you can't tell me that her is not a bad guy."

Clarisse struggled to come up with something to counter her statement. She couldn't do anything but agree that Percy was in fact a good guy.

"You're right but it's Percy. My enemy. My rival." Was Clarisse's attempt to make sense of her motivations. Jess shook her head and giggled once more, putting her hand over her mouth to mask it.

"Not only that but he is the _most eligible bachelor _of the camp. Not to mention a looker." Jess concluded with a cheesy smile. Clarisse's jaw dropped when she heard this. She never thought Jess saw Percy as one of the better guys in the camp. She believed she succeeded in getting her entire cabin to side with her when she said that the Son of Poseidon was _as ugly as the seaweed you'd find at the seafloor. _Then there was Jess, who just called Percy Jackson a looker and an eligible bachelor.

Clarisse then thought back to the recent morning, when she woke up to Percy cooking at the stove with the tightest possible t-shirt, outlining his muscular frame. She stopped herself when she realized she was adoring his body.

"You're dumb Clarisse. You are really dumb. And before you go on and try to make sense of your argument, tell me the rest of this story." And so she did. Clarisse hesitated countless times when she approached the parts when he was clothing her, and when she woke up. But she managed to get the whole story out; she knew Jess would probably be the only one in the entire camp, aside from Chiron, who would be most helpful and understanding.

Chiron is one of the counsellors and had taught many known heroes throughout history, from Perseus to Percy Jackson. He was the nicest, most reliable, most trustworthy centaur in the world to most people. But he was definitely not one of the people you would run to if you were in the situation Clarisse was in at the moment. Chiron was wise, but he was still a teacher, but not a best and close friend like Jess.

Once Clarisse finished her explanation of the night, and morning of course, Jess wasn't snickering or smiling this time. Instead she had the kind of face that yelled, "Are you Dumb."

"What?" Clarisse asked.

"You're an idiot, you know?" Clarisse was confounded by now.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me? The Strongest Daughter of Ares in Camp Half-Blood is an idiot. You missed an opportunity when it was practically handed to you on a silver platter."

"What the hell are you talking about?" This was the time one of the Ares kids decided to bang on the doorway. Grasping the attention of both ladies, he spoke

"There is a meeting for cabin counsellors in the Big House. That means you La Rue." Clarisse nodded as she pushed herself off the bed. She turned to look back at Jess when she reached the doorway.

"We're not done here." She made her exit and descended down the staircase to the front door of the cabin.

When she left the cabin, the camp was definitely populated at the moment. There were kids running around with wooden swords, and there were other demi-gods duelling about on the pathways with practice blades. Archers on cliff, aiming their bows down at the hay targets meters away from them.


	4. Echoing of a Ripple

**I deeply apologise for those reading and is actually interested in this story. I never expected this story to be read as much as it was. I just want to thank you for helping me achieve the 1,000 view milestone. **

**I have been very busy lately, with education and exams. I will try to upload more and more often. Please don't hesitate to pm me for any criticism or advice because I want to continue making good content for you. Without further ado…**

**Saturday, May 7****th****, 2016  
I am so sorry for how long it has taken me to make this chapter. I hit a writer's block, then I confused myself on the direction of the chapter, then my knowledge on Percy Jackson conflicted with each other and everything became a mishmash of what the f***. But I think I've assembled it now and the story is moving again. I know it's been a year or something since the last chapter, but I'm sorry. Without further ado…**

**P.S. Thanks for over two thousand views 3**

**-Calm Waters-**

Moments earlier…

Percy entered the camp from the beachside, avoiding the seductive looks shot at him from the daughters of Aphrodite as he passed their cabin. He brought his hand to his hair, brushing it until sweeping over his confused face, recounting what'd happened just a couple of hours ago. Had he ended the rivalry he'd had since his first days in Camp Half-Blood? There's only one person wise and trustworthy enough to help him in a situation like this, or at least he hoped he could help.

His racing thoughts muted his hearing, so he wasn't able to notice the sound of a Centaur charging down the path, screaming at him to get out of the way.

Sensing movement behind him, Percy sidestepped in a quick reaction, the wind lashing him as the Centaur raced past him. He forcefully shook the thoughts from his head and his senses returned for the sake of safety. Camp Half-Blood isn't dangerous for Demi-Gods, but if anyone is distracted, accidents were bound to happen.

Percy tucked his hands into the pockets of his baggy basketball shorts, walking down the crowded pathway, where lines of archers were taking aim on his left, launching arrows simultaneously at boxes of hay with a bulls-eye painted on the faces, and on his right were sparring men and women duelling energetically and vigorously.

Percy continued down the path until he halted in front of the Athena Cabin. It looked like every ordinary cabin around here, apart from Athena's name being carved upon the ceiling of the porch, and the abnormal silence. It was usually quiet around the Athena Cabin, mainly because the daughters and sons of Athena function better in quieter situations as it allows them to think and strategize better...but it was quiet for a whole other reason.

He stepped off the path and onto the gravel path that led to the Cabin; Percy had the sudden feeling he needed to do something here. The spring wind brushed past him as he approached the cabin.

Unlike approaching the porch of the Cabin to enter, entering the cabin wasn't related to what he had to do. Instead he circled the cabin and walked around the corner so that he'd found himself at the rear of the cabin.

Where, there was a lengthy gothic black fence boxing around a single stone sticking out of the ground; a tombstone. He slowly traced the fence to the gate at the opposite side, pulling the gate softly towards him and to the side, the squeak from the hinges being the only sound accepted by the ears of Percy Jackson.

He approached the tombstone until he was a mere half a meter away from it. Percy felt his knees buckle and give out, his knees clashing with the soft grass. He struggled to hold his tears back as he read the tombstone:

_**Annabeth Chase**_

_**Beloved Daughter of Athena**_

_**July 12, 1993 – May 13, 2012**_

It happened just over two years ago…

"_Here we are Perseus Jackson! Oh great son of Poseidon!" Luke bellowed from the end of the deck. Percy had just managed to send the iris message to Camp Half-Blood, but there was nothing else he could do for himself or his friends as he was thrown onto the ground by Luke's cronies._

_Percy pushed himself to his knee and observed his surroundings. He kneeled, centre of attention at the bow of the Princess Andromeda, all other directions blocked off by Luke's confederates, completely surrounded all areas apart from the bow. Luke was at furthermost up the deck, leaning over the railing to watch the waters as he stripped himself of his leather jacket and threw it aside. Percy was trapped at the bow of the cruise ship, standing before the son of Hermes, unarmed and at his mercy._

"_Oh don't look so glum Percy." Luke announced, enunciating his name in a pouty manner, as he approached him "This is the climax of this story." He directed his hand to the left of Percy. Percy turned around to find Grover, Tyson and Annabeth in the grips of Luke's associates, their wrists and ankles bound, and were forced onto their knees . "Even your friends are here to watch."_

"_What is it you want from me Luke?" Percy questioned aggressively "You've won. You have me here, unarmed and powerless."_

"_Well I don't have the fleece, do I?" Luke responded loudly, earning a lot of aggressive growls from the crowd around him. "But! I think I have a way for you to compensate."_

_Percy looked up at this, confused. "Don't pull that face on me Jackson. You know you have your pen on you." It then came back to him, Riptide's enchantment. He dug into his pants pocket to find the pen buried within. He drew the pen from his pocket, though not unclipping it._

"_I am more than confident you know what is going to happen now Jackson." And he did. Percy looked back to his friends and noted their head shaking. He knew it was stupid idea to accept a duel with him, Luke had years of experience ahead of Percy in regards to swordsmanship and duelling, hell he was one of the best in the camp. But there was no other way to go about it. And so, he pushed himself to his feet._

"_Ahhh, there you go." Luke teased. "Our final duel Jackson. Luke Castellan! Versus! The Son of Poseidon! In a fight to the death!" this earned Luke cheers and chants from all around the deck. He raised his arms, motioning and encouraging the cheers. He turned around to walk towards the starboard side of the bow._

_Looking determined, Percy walked to the portside, throwing Annabeth a glance as he walked. She was sad, worried, and angry, but nothing could be said as her mouth was bound by a gag like her friends beside her. Annabeth knew there was no winning here, even if Percy miraculously won, he would still lose. They were surrounded by enemies who would, at the second of Luke's loss, jump at Percy and rip him to shreds. All she could do was hope and pray to her mother that Percy has wisdom in this moment._

_And there they stood, Percy at one end and Luke at the other. The cheers and chants filled the silence _

"_How did it go back at camp? Bow, Draw, then Duel?" Luke asked blankly from the other end of the bow. Percy remained silent at this, and only gave a curt nod in response._

"_Okay then. Bowww…" the two bowed towards one another._

"_Draw!" Percy unclipped his pen and Riptide transfigured into a sword. Luke drew a sword from his scabbard, his all famous backbiter. Though there was something darker about the blade that Percy hadn't noticed before at the camp._

"_I'm glad you noticed Percy." He flourished his sword in his hand. "You see. Backbiter isn't just any sword. It was actually a scythe prior to its modification."_

_Annabeth's eyes widened as she received the message in its entirety._

"_Backbiter, used to belong to a Titan, I'm sure you are familiar with him, Kronos." Now shock and awe was spread all over the deck, even to Luke's accomplices._

"_Surprise surprise. Yes. I am armed the weapon of Kronos." If Percy wasn't concerned before, he most definitely was now. He had never been afraid of a sword before, because Riptide had a certain superiority to it, but Backbiter had one-upped him by a mile._

_If what he studied was correct, the weapons of the Titan's had a more violent effect than the Gods, except maybe that of Ares. So if he was struck by Backbiter, it was safe to assume that the effect would be, without a doubt, unpleasant._

"_But enough pleasantries. Shall we?" he said as he poised his blade. Percy raised his blade as well, he may have been shaken by the sudden discovery of the origins of Luke's sword, but it didn't faze him here. There was a duel to be had, and he had learnt enough from Annabeth to know that he should always watch the sword and don't fall for distractions._

_"Duel!" this took Percy by surprise as his own thoughts about focusing on the duel distracted him from focusing on the duel. Luke advanced towards Percy, flourishing his blade in his right hand. Percy advanced as well, defensively prepping his blade beside him._

_Luke threw the first strike with a downwards slash, Percy anticipated and raised his sword to parry it aside. This caused the first spark of the duel to shine between them as their swords clashed. Percy found opportunity to sweep across his chest. Luke dodged by pulling himself backwards, the sword nearly cutting his shirt._

_They both stood a meter from one another, all ready aware of each others capabilities. They stood, Luke's eyes on Percy, and Percy's eyes on Backbiter. Luke made for another attack and lunged at Percy._

_The son of Poseidon dodged the blade with a simple sidestep, keeping his sword poised at Luke. The duel went on for minutes, strikes thrown, parries given, sparks flying. It was a very balanced duel as no one had been struck yet. Until…_

"_Gah!" Luke cried as Percy slashed him at the thigh in his riposte. Percy retreated from his offensive and watched him._

"_I see you've gotten better at this Jackson." He spat. As he brought himself to a full standstill again. Luke quickly lunged at Percy, catching him at the hip. Percy clutched his side as he pulls himself further away from Luke. Common deception was used against him, getting struck in the wake of a successful strike. "But still sentimental I see."_

_The cut wasn't deep at all, but it was the feeling, the burning sensation he was feeling within the wound was enough to keep him from standing fully._

_Luke found it was time to stop playing with his food and convinced himself that he wasn't trying earlier and that now was the time to actually start. _

_The son of Hermes advanced and pulled an upwards slash at Percy, very predictable motion, thus Percy parries it, though Luke counters his parry and brings his sword downwards and thrust into his side. The blade found entry into Percy abdomen, causing him to gasp in pain as the sword found exit as well. He groaned shortly and quietly as he felt the burning spread within. His eyes were wide open and soon found that of Luke's._

"_At the mercy of Luke Castellan, you are, once again, Son…of Poseidon." Luke pushed Percy away, his body slipping off of his blood dripping sword. His body landed with a loud thump and riptide landed beside him, out of his hand. Cheers erupted from the deck as the Son of Poseidon fell. But then there was Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson._

_Tyson was too shocked at what just happened that he remained silent. Grover jolted forward on his knees, but was restrained, his gagged mouth clearly screaming Percy's name. But Annabeth was different. _

_Her heart stopped as she watched his body fall. Every millisecond went by like an eternity. She could see everything in that one moment. The blood drops flying from his abdomen as his body was pushed off the blade. His grip loosening and his sword flying out of his hand. Each detail engraved itself into her mind, and soon a tear fell from her eye._

_As his body hit the ground, there was a crack of thunder in the skies. Luke raised his head to look at the clouds._

_"Looks like the Gods are watching Jackson." He said pointing his sword to the sky then began to circle around Percy's quivering, aching body. "All…watching…their 'Hero of Olympus'."_

"_I wonder what they were thinking?" he asked himself as he flourished his blade "Their hero would defeat the great villain Luke Castellan and all would be right in the world? That this battle would be easy and the son of Poseidon would emerge hero once again. Well…tsk tsk tsk." He threw his sword to the deck floor, the sword locking itself upright as it embeds itself in the wood at the tip._

"_YOU THOUGHT WRONG!" he shouted at the skies as another crack of thunder shook the skies. The thunder began to get stronger and the bright skies were slowly masked by dark clouds._

_Luke wasn't the only one to spin in confusion, staring at the skies, wondering what the Gods were up to. This kind of sudden change in weather is never haphazard._

_Percy laid still on the ground, the pain too agonizing to move, instead shook in place on the deck. He could feel his blood spilling, the front and back of his navy blue shirt clouded with the dark red colour of his blood. He could feel himself growing colder as the wind caught his open wound. Percy couldn't stop the flooding of memories as they filled his mind._

_His mother preparing his lunch as he pulled his shoes on to get ready for school. The first time he met Grover at his new school. The first time he felt welcomed at Camp Half-Blood. Meeting Annabeth and crushing on her. Winning his first battle during Capture the Flag. Then going on the adventure to save his mother. Connecting with Annabeth at the motel. Saving his mother from the underworld. Meeting his father, Poseidon, for the first time. Then finally being together with Annabeth. The happiness and bliss he felt just being with someone who truly loved and cared for him that wasn't his mother, was unlike anything he'd ever imagined._

_But here he lay, moments away from losing all of that. All the love and friends he'd acquired in only a few years, moments away from being gone and his life with it. Through all the pain and burning in his body, a stream of tears left his eyes._

_Then a drip of water hit his forehead. It shook him from his thoughts as another droplet hit the floor next to him. Then more droplets came falling from the cloudy skies._

_It's raining…Percy thought as there was thunder crackling across the sky. The rain increased in intensity, slowly transitioning from a light drizzle to soft pour. Percy could feel the rainwater covering his body slowly, soothing him with each drop._

_Luke was too busy, standing, bewildered by the Gods' choice of changing the weather to rainfall._

"Is this your way of crying of great Zeus and Poseidon?!" he shouted at the skies. "Go on! Cry for your Hero!" The rain came at full mast, the rain crashing towards the deck, filling the bow of the ship and its only exit was flowing out below the rails or into the ship.

_Percy then remembered the soft words his father gave him a year ago._

"_Go to the water."_

_Mustering his strength, he raised his arms and placed the palm of his hands on the water filled floor. His felt his abilities click within and the water masked his hand and swept over his arms. The water dragged the blood off of his shirt, guiding itself back into the wound, his shirt slowly returning to its navy blue colour. With a sting, the water covered the dripping wound, causing Percy to hiss shortly._

_Luke turned at the hiss and the realization hit him as he saw water covering over Percy, and the blood pool below him being retracted back into him. It was then that he noticed that he was healing himself, just like that day of Capture the Flag when Percy battled Annabeth._

"_Fucking water…" he paced towards his sword._

_Percy felt the burning within him eradicate, and as the water subsided and he was healed, his wounds closed and the blood cleaned, he felt an immeasurable amount of energy surge through him. His eyes were wide open at this, his senses heightened in the rainy environment and sensed Luke striding towards his sword._

"_Fucking Gods. Stupid fucking water!" He roared as he yanked his sword from where it was lodged in the deck floor. He brought it sword up to motion for a slash as Percy's fallen body._

_Percy used the water to push the hilt of his sword into his open left hand and pulled himself rightward, rolling away from his slash. He rolled onto his knee and with a sweeping one-eighty, he swung riptide highly at Luke, catching him in the cheek._

_Luke staggered backwards at the surprise attack. Bringing his left hand to his cheek to feel the cut he'd just received. His eyes filled with hatred suddenly, and with this hatred he lunged at Percy._

_Though the Son of Poseidon was in the moment of unparalleled focus, he anticipated the jab and simply parried it then guided Luke's sword into lock. The X formed by the two swords were forced together and was held together at an equilibrium. Percy stood firmly and unmoving, holding Riptide with two hands as he pressured onto Luke. Luke was astonished and fearful at this moment. Percy was in full control of this battle now, he could feel his strength being mitigated by Percy's, the equilibrium falling apart and falling in favour of the son of Poseidon._

_Percy then forced the lock to the side, throwing Luke's arm back, leaving him momentarily defenceless. So then he kicked the son of Hermes dead in the stomach, sending him flying, falling on his side, and sliding across the wet floor. Luke stopped sliding when he crashed against the railing of the bow of the boat._

_The Son of Poseidon stood, defiant and strong, under the cracking of thunder and heavy rainfall. An image that posed threatening to all who bared witness to it._

_Luke forced himself back on his feet and demanded angrily across the deck _

"_Bring me the girl!"_

_Percy's eyes shot to Annabeth, whom was struggling and resisting as she was dragged across the bow by two large men. His eyes filled with rage as he strode towards Luke._

_The two men dropped Annabeth to the ground, where she was then picked up by Luke in his off-hand and pulled her to her feet._

"_Quite the situation you've landed yourself in Jackson." He asserted raising his sword so that it was pointing at Percy who stood only a couple meters away._

"_Let her go Luke. It's me that you want remember." Percy reasoned, shouting under the loud rainfall. Luke pulled Annabeth with him as he walked along the railing of the bow._

"_Well let me be the first to say the circumstances are a little tilted in your favour Jackson." Gesturing to the sky._

"_Circumstances change all the time Luke."_

"_And so has this one." Luke pointed out. The sound of battle cries rang throughout the deck, the faint sound of clacking across the wooden flooring of the ship with it, the sound of hooves._

"_Chiron." Percy uttered._

"_Yes Chiron and his pansies. I'm guessing you sent an Iris Message." Luke affirmed. "So I will leave you with an ultimatum Jackson. Drop your blade and let me go, and I don't throw her overboard." He demanded._

_"You wouldn't- "_

"_Oh yes! I would." Luke reassured as he gives repeated glances towards the deck, the battle getting closer and closer to them._

_It took only second for Percy to comply by dropping his sword on the ground with a soft clang. Luke's face returned to it's usual smug appearance as he realizes he'd won here._

"_It's going to be alright Annabeth." Percy asserted._

_Though it wasn't his intention to give in that easily to the Son of Poseidon and give him what he wants. Luke has spent enough time being ridiculed by him and constantly defeated, especially moments earlier._

"_Too bad Jackson…" Luke said bringing his sword behind Annabeth's head and slicing the gag's rope, causing the gag to fall to the ground and roll off under the railing. _

"_Percy." she called, her eyes filled with tears._

_He returned his sword to his scabbard "I actually really liked her." Percy noticed the underlying message and motioned to bolt towards him; Annabeth protested by struggling in his grasp and screaming_

"_Percy!" she screamed as she was lifted by Luke and pushed onto the railing. Percy jolted towards Luke but as he left her to slide off the railing, he'd already made a break for it. Her legs fells first so her arms were last and were thrown upwards._

_Percy threw himself at the railing, reaching over the railing and grabbed her by the hand, right under the wrist._

"_I got you!" Percy shouted. He had both hands latched onto her hands. Her wrists were still bound by the rope so she could open her hand and grab his._

"_Percy!" she screamed once again "I can't grab you!" she said fearfully. Her life hung in the balance of Percy's grip._

"_I got you Annabeth. Just hang on!" Percy shouted, trying to get a better grip._

_But the water streaming down his arms and the rain hitting their hands, slipped into the cracks of the grip that Percy had on her hands. Annabeth felt herself slipping_

"_Percy! I'm slipping!" his eyes widened and tried to scramble for a better grip but none was found. The grip was too slick and was loosening more and more by the second._

"_No! Annabeth, hang on!"_

"_I can't!" she called. Annabeth hung, helpless. Percy's grip slowly loosening as the wetness tried to pull their hands apart._

_Then Percy realized, he could use his powers to guide the water away from their hands, to make them drier and the grip stronger. But Annabeth had different thoughts running through her head._

"_Percy. I'm sorry." She said softly._

"_No! Annabeth! I can dry our hands. I'll use my powers-"_

"_Percy. I love you."_

"_No! Don't think like that! Just hold on!" he tried his best to channel his powers down to their grip, to extract the water._

"_I love you Percy Jackson."_

"_I love you too Annabeth. Just please! Hang on!" he could feel himself forcing all of his might into removing the water._

"_I'm sorry Percy."_

"_No Annabeth!"_

"_I love you Perseus Jackson. I lov-"_

…_and the grip broke…_

_and she fell…_

_she screamed…_

"_NOOOOOOOO!" he bellowed as he watched the woman he loves, fall…_

_She plummeted down towards the heavy tides until she-_

_His eyes shut. The sound of the impact was masked by the loud thunderstorm and the crashing waves, but the scream, suddenly being cut off…_

_He opened his eyes again and let himself fall to his knees in front of the railing. Percy turned around so that he could lean on the railing. Everything felt so slow. His heart stopped, he couldn't hear a thing. His mind was all but focused on anything. Shocked. Distress. He lost her. He failed to save her. He let her fall._

_She's gone…_

**-Calm Waters-**

Percy couldn't stop the onslaught of tears pouring from his eyes as the whole event replayed in his mind. He fell forward so that his head rested on the stone tablet, his hands hanging onto the sides as if his life depended on it.

His tears in turn led to sniffling, but the emotions built up within him. The pain, the sadness, the anger…he couldn't help but release…

"GAAAAAHHHHHHH!" he roared until there was no air left in his lungs. He returned to crying on her tombstone. He was trembling more so than earlier, his chest shook as the tears continue to flow.

"I'm sorry Annabeth…" he muttered at the ground. "I'm sorry I failed you…"

He remained there, kneeled and shuddering, his tears drying after a few minutes as there was nothing left to exert. His crying was interrupted by the sound of the gate behind him opening.

Percy didn't have it in him to turn around and see who it was. The hooves crunching the fall leaves as the figure approached Percy was enough to give him an idea. It was until the figure fell down to his knees as well, right beside Percy, that it spoke

"I'm sorry Percy." Came the voice of his best-friend, Grover. Percy felt his arm wrap around his shoulders in comfort, then the satyr began to shed tears as well.

"I know I am not in your position Perce…but I miss her too." He mumbled under his sniffling. Percy quickly wrapped his arm around Grover as well.

"It's my fault Grover…it's my fault she's gone…" Percy said firmly under his short sniffles, his emotions soon filling with self-hatred. His hand curled into a ball and pounded it against the tombstone in anger "It's my fault!" he cried.

"Percy. Please. It's not your fault. You did everything you could." Grover insisted, gripping onto Percy's shirt in an attempt to make himself clear.

"I could've done better…" Percy said softly. "I could have saved her…." He pounded at the stone again "but I failed…"

"And because of that…"

His head lowered further "she's gone…"


End file.
